Child Songs of Cheer by Evaleen Stein PDF
Preview Child Songs of Cheer by Evaleen Stein
The Project Gutenberg EBook of Child Songs of Cheer, by Evaleen Stein This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org Title: Child Songs of Cheer Author: Evaleen Stein Illustrator: Antoinette Inglis Release Date: September 27, 2006 [EBook #19389] Language: English Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHILD SONGS OF CHEER *** Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Sankar Viswanathan, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net Dandelions DANDELIONS Dandelions, dandelions, shining through the dew, Let the Kings have Cloth of Gold, but let us have you! Front_page CHILD SONGS OF CHEER BY EVALEEN STEIN ILLUSTRATIONS BY ANTOINETTE INGLIS Seal BOSTON LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD CO. Published, August, 1918 Copyright, 1918, by Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Co. Dear Children, all the little words These printed pages through, They are a flock of little birds I bring to sing to you. Sometimes they sing of foolish things, And other times they try To tell their gladness when their wings Soar up to seek the sky. So, Sweethearts, do but kindly hark! If but a sparrow throng, Or if among them there's a lark, To you their songs belong! Contents PAGE Up, Little Ones! 11 Dandelions 13 Our Puppies 15 The Lost Balloon 16 The Circus Procession 17 May-Baskets 22 The Picture-Book Giant 23 Did You Ever? 25 Decoration Day 26 Chu-Chu Cars 28 Fairy Rings 30 The Firefly 32 A Rain Song 33 Fairies 36 The Little Fir-Trees 37 The Wren-House 41 The Baby's Ride 42 An Indian Raid 48 The First Sleigh-Ride 50 Sleepy Time 51 When Bettie and Anne Went Walking 52 The Bluebird 54 The Organ-Grinder 55 The New Moon 57 Showery Time 58 Easter Day 60 The Sandman 61 Dandelion Curls 62 Pop-Corn 63 The Rash Little Sparrow 64 What If? 65 Easter Eggs 66 The Birds' Bath 68 November Morning 69 The Runaway 71 Lost! 73 The Queen's Page 74 Our Tree-Toad 75 In the Water-World 77 Who Was It? 79 Visiting Day 80 A Valentine to Catherine 81 Fireflies 82 The Rainy Day 83 The First Red-Bird 84 The Weather-Vane 86 The Swan 87 Baby's Baking 89 A Sure Sign 90 Another Sure Sign 91 The Robin's Bath 93 The Frosted Pane 94 The First Snow 96 Grandfather Knows 97 Sleigh-Bells 98 The Red-Bird 99 Wild Beasts 100 Wherefore Wings? 101 Basking 102 With a May-Basket for Baby Agnes 103 The Little Nest 105 Christmas Candles 107 A Song of the Christmas-Tree 108 Our Kittens 112 In July 113 A Valentine to a Little Child 114 Zip! 116 A Little Carol 117 Song 118 The Three Candles 119 Illustrations DANDELIONS Dandelions, dandelions, shining through the dew, Let the kings have Cloth of Gold, but let us have you! (Page 14) Frontispiece FACING PAGE FAIRY RINGS See them dancing, dancing, While the silver moon Tips their swiftly glancing Little silver shoon! 30 THE BIRDS' BATH When the sun shines warm and high Robins cluster round its brink 68 CHRISTMAS CANDLES We can tell Him of our love If we set a light for Him 108 Child Songs of Cheer UP, LITTLE ONES! A robin redbreast, fluting there Upon the apple-bough, Is telling all the world how fair Are apple-blossoms now; The honey-dew its sweetness spills From cuckoo-cups, and all The crocuses and daffodils Are drest for festival! Such pretty things are to be seen, Such pleasant things to do, The April earth it is so green, The April sky so blue, The path from dawn to even-song So joyous is to-day, Up, little ones! and dance along The lilac-scented way! DANDELIONS Hey-a-day-a-day, my dear! Dandelion time! [11] [12] [13] Come, and let us make for them a pretty little rhyme! See the meadows twinkling now, beautiful and bright As the sky when through the blue shine the stars at night! Once upon a time, folks say, mighty kings of old Met upon a splendid field called "The Cloth of Gold." But, we wonder, could it be there was ever seen Brighter gold than glitters now in our meadows green? Dandelions, dandelions, shining through the dew, Let the kings have Cloth of Gold, but let us have you! OUR PUPPIES Little ears as soft as silk, Little teeth as white as milk, Little noses cool and pink, Little eyes that blink and blink, Little bodies round and fat, Little hearts that pit-a-pat, Surely prettier puppies never Were before nor can be ever! THE LOST BALLOON O dear! my purple toy balloon Has flown away! and very soon It will be high up as the moon! And don't you think the man up there Will wonder what it is, and stare? Perhaps hell say, "Well, I declare!" Or, maybe if it chance there are Some little boys in yonder star, And if it floats away so far, Perhaps they'll jump up very high And catch the cord as it goes by! At any rate I hope they'll try! THE CIRCUS PROCESSION Oh, hurry! hurry! here they come, The band in front with the big bass drum And blaring bugles,—there they are, On golden thrones in a golden car, Tooting and fluting, oh, how grand! Hi diddle, diddle! The fife and the fiddle! Hurrah, hurrah for the circus band! And the red-plumed horses, oh, see them prance And daintily lift their hoofs and dance, While beautiful ladies with golden curls Are jingling their bridles of gold and pearls, And close behind [14] [15] [16] [17] Come every kind Of animal cages great and small, O how I wonder what's in them all! Here's one that's open and glaring there Is the shaggiest snow-white polar bear! Woof! but I wonder what we'd do If his bars broke loose right now, don't you? And O dear me! Just look and see That pink-cheeked lady in skirts of gauze And the great big lion with folded paws! O me! O my! I'm glad that I Am not in that lion's cage, because Suppose he'd open his horrible jaws! —But look! the clown is coming! Of course Facing the tail of a spotted horse And shouting out things to make folks laugh, And grinning up at the tall giraffe That placidly paces along and looks Just like giraffes in the picture-books! And there are the elephants, two and two, Lumbering on as they always do! The men who lead them look so small I wonder the elephants mind at all As they wag their queer Long trunks, and peer Through their beady eyes,—folks say they know No end of things, and I'm sure it's so! And you never must do a thing that's bad Or that possibly might make an elephant mad, For he'll never forgive you, it appears, And will punish you sure, if it takes him years! So do not stare But take good care To mind your manners, and always try To smile politely as they go by! But the camels don't care if you laugh at them With their bumpy humps like a capital M, They lurch and sway And seem to say, As they wrinkle their noses, long and gray, "This swaggering stride is quite the plan, It's the way we walked in the caravan!" And now more cages come rumbling by With glittering people throned on high; So many spangles and precious things, They surely must all be queens and kings! They look so proud Above the crowd, O my, how fine it must feel to ride On golden wagons that hide inside Strange animals caught in cannibal isles And brought in ships for a million miles! But hark! it's near The end, for hear That sudden screeching in piercing key! The steaming, screaming cal-li-o-pe! Just plain pianos sound terribly tame Beside this one with the wonderful name, And wouldn't you love some day to sit In a circus wagon and play on it? [18] [19] [20] [21] MAY-BASKETS Let us take our baskets early To the meadows green, While the wild-flowers still are pearly With the dewdrops' sheen. Fill them full of blossoms rosy, Violets and gay Cowslips, every pretty posy Welcoming the May. Then our lovely loads we'll carry Down the village street, On each door, with laughter merry, Hang a basket sweet. Hey-a-day-day! It is spring now, Lazy folks, awake! See the pretty things we bring now For the May-day's sake! THE PICTURE-BOOK GIANT Once there was a fierce, defiant, Greedy, grumpy, grizzly giant In the pages of a picture-book, and he Sometimes screamed, in sudden rages, "I must jump out from these pages, For this life's a much too humdrum one for me! Fiddle-dee! Yes, this life's a quite too quiet one for me!" So one rainy day he did it, Took the picture-book and hid it, Stamped his foot, and shouting loudly, "Now I'm free!" Boldly started out, forgetting That he could not stand a wetting! He was just a paper giant, don't you see? Dearie me! Just a gaudy, picture giant, don't you see? DID YOU EVER? Did you ever see a fairy in a rose-leaf coat and cap Swinging in a cobweb hammock as he napped his noonday nap? Did you ever see one waken very thirsty and drink up All the honey-dew that glimmered in a golden buttercup? Did you ever see one fly away on rainbow-twinkling wings? If you did not, why, how comes it that you never see such things? DECORATION DAY [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] See the soldiers, little ones! Hark the drummers' beat! See them with their flags and guns Marching down the street! Tattered flags from out the wars, Let us follow these To the little stripes and stars Twinkling through the trees. Watch them waving through the grass Where the heroes sleep! Thither gently let us pass On this day we keep. Let us bring our blossoms, too, All our gardens grow; Lilacs honey-sweet with dew, And the lilies' snow. Every posy of the May, Every bloomy stem, Every bud that breaks to-day Gather now for them. Lay the lilies o'er them thus, Lovingly, for so Down they laid their lives for us, Long and long ago. Heap above them bud and bough; Softly, ere we cease, God, we pray Thee, gently now Fold them in Thy peace! CHU-CHU CARS Turn the chairs down in a row Each behind the other, so; Chu-chu! Chu-chu! there they are, Passenger and baggage-car, Chu-chu-chu! the Morris chair Is the engine puffing there, Chu-chu! Chu-chu! Ting-a-ling! Don't you hear its big bell ring? All aboard! Jump on! if you Want to take this train. Chu-chu!! Off we start now, rushing fast Through the fields and valleys, past Noisy cities, over bridges, Hills and plains and mountain ridges, Chu-chu! Chu-chu! Chu-chu-chu!! At such speed it must be true Since we started we have come Most a million miles from home! Jump off, some one! Quick! and go To the pantry, for, you know, We must have the cookie-jar For our Pullman dining-car! FAIRY RINGS [27] [28] [29] [30] Softly in the gloaming Flitting through the vale, Fairy folk are roaming Over hill and dale. Pixies in the hollow, Elves upon the height, Let us follow, follow Through the paling light. Follow, all unbidden, To the grassy glade Wrapped around and hidden In the forest shade. Hark the elfin tinkle Of their little lutes! Mark the golden twinkle Of their fairy flutes! FAIRY RINGS FAIRY RINGS See them dancing, dancing, While the silver moon Tips their swiftly glancing Little silver shoon! Tripping, tripping lightly, Where their footprints fall, [31] Look! the grass is brightly Growing green and tall! Springing close, unbroken, In a fairy ring, For to-morrow's token Of their frolicking! THE FIREFLY Flash and flicker and fly away, Trailing light as you flutter far, Are you a lamp for the fairies, say? Or a flake of fire from a falling star? A RAIN SONG Tinkle, tinkle, Lightly fall On the peach buds, pink and small; Tip the tiny grass, and twinkle On the clover, green and tall. Tinkle, tinkle,— Faster now, Little rain-drops, smite and sprinkle Cherry-bloom and apple-bough! Pelt the elms, and show them how You can dash! And splash! splash! splash! While the thunder rolls and mutters, And the lightnings flash and flash! Then eddy into curls Of a million misty swirls, And thread the air with silver, and embroider it with pearls! And patter, patter, patter To a quicker time, and clatter On the streaming window-pane; Rain, rain, On the leaves, And the eaves, And the turning weather-vane! Rush in torrents from the tip Of the gable-peak, and drip In the garden-bed, and fill All the cuckoo-cups, and pour More and more In the tulip-bowls, and still Overspill In a crystal tide until Every yellow daffodil Is flooded to its golden rim, and brimming o'er and o'er! Then as gently as the low Muffled whir of robin wings, Or a sweep of silver strings, Even so, Take your airy April flight Through the merry April light, [32] [33] [34] [35] And melt into a mist of rainy music as you go! FAIRIES Grandfather says that sometimes, When stars are twinkling and A new moon shines, there come times When folks see fairy-land! So when there's next a new moon, I mean to watch all night! Grandfather says a blue moon Is best for fairy light, And in a peach-bloom, maybe, If I look I shall see A little fairy baby No bigger than a bee! THE LITTLE FIR-TREES Hey! little evergreens, Sturdy and strong! Summer and autumn time Hasten along; Harvest the sunbeams, then, Bind them in sheaves, Range them, and change them To tufts of green leaves. Delve in the mellow mold, Far, far below, And so, Little evergreens, grow! Grow, grow! Grow, little evergreens, grow! Up, up so airily To the blue sky, Lift up your leafy tips Stately and high; Clasp tight your tiny cones, Tawny and brown; By and by, buffeting Rains will pelt down; By and by, bitterly Chill winds will blow; And so, Little evergreens, grow! Grow, grow! Grow, little evergreens, grow! Gather all uttermost Beauty, because,— Hark, till I tell it now! How Santa Claus, Out of the northern land, Over the seas, Soon shall come seeking you, Evergreen trees! Seek you with reindeer soon, Over the snow; [36] [37] [38] [39] And so, Little evergreens, grow! Grow, grow! Grow, little evergreens, grow! What if the maples flare Flaunting and red, You shall wear waxen white Tapers instead! What if now, otherwhere, Birds are beguiled, You shall yet nestle The little Christ-child! Ah! the strange splendor The fir-trees shall know! And so, Little evergreens, grow! Grow, grow! Grow, little evergreens, grow! THE WREN-HOUSE Yesterday I took my saw And some bits of wood, And I made a little house Nicely as I could. I put on a mossy-green Little pointed roof, And I cut a tiny door That is pussy-proof. For I hope some little wrens To our yard will come And will choose my little house For their little home. I shall hang it in the boughs Of the apple-tree, And I'm sure as rent for it They will sing to me! THE BABY'S RIDE Chee! Chee! Chickadee! Sing-time and sun! Aye, aye, baby-bye, Springtime has begun! In the little willow cart, On a downy bed, Pretty parasol of silk Swinging overhead, Let us go along the lane Where a baby sees Mighty tufts of grass, and weeds Tall as forest trees! Bluebird on the apple-bough, [40] [41] [42] [43] Sing and sing and sing! Sing your very sweetest now For babyhood and spring! "Bah! Bah!" from the pasture, And "Caw! Caw!" from the crow, And bleating from the little calf That has not learned to low. Apple-buds, apple-buds breaking apart, The baby looks upward with love-laden gaze; Oh, shower some petals down here in his cart, One honey-sweet cluster of pretty pink sprays! Apple-buds, apple-buds, scornful and too Vain of your loveliness, stay where you are! The cheeks of the baby are pinker than you, And finer and softer and sweeter by far! See the pretty little lambs, How they frisk and play! See their silky fleeces shine White as buds in May! White as are the fleecy clouds Softly blowing by— What if they were little lambs Playing in the sky? Robin on the peach-bough, Swinging overhead, Sing a little song and say Why is your breast so red? Why is your voice so sweet, and Your song so merry, say? And wherefore do you spread your wings And quickly fly away? Ho, ho! see the queer little prints there That cover the road, baby, look! At the web-footed tangle that hints where The ducks have gone down to the brook! The Muscovy mammas that waddled Zigzag, you can trace in their tracks, And the dear little ducklings that toddled And tumbled sometimes on their backs! Buttercup, buttercup, buttercup gold, O give us a handful of riches to hold! Ho, ho! laughs the baby, and grasps in his glee His wealth, but soon shows what a spend-thrift is he! —Nay, nay, he is king, though he never was crowned, And royally scatters his gold on the ground! Bough of the willow-tree Over the brook, Down darts a kingfisher, Look, baby, look! [44] [45] [46] Back on the willow-bough, Fishing is done; Happy and nappy now There in the sun. Happy and nappy the baby is, too, Softly his eyelids droop over the blue, Golden his curls on the white pillow lie, Sleep, baby, sleep, baby, hush-a-by-bye. AN INDIAN RAID Did you see some Indians passing, Just a short while back? Looks as if they must be massing For a fierce attack! Buckskin fringes, turkey-feather Huge head-dresses and Bows and arrows, altogether Quite a frightful band! From the lilac-bushes springing, See them rushing! Ugh! Awful war-whoops wildly ringing! There'll be scalping, too! In their fearful frenzy leaping, It is very plain Soon around us they'll be heaping Mountains of the slain! Soon their victims will be falling— But, above the noise, Hark! I hear somebody calling, "Come to dinner, boys!" THE FIRST SLEIGH-RIDE O happy time of fleecy rime And falling flakes, and O The glad surprise in baby eyes That never saw the snow! Down shining ways the flying sleighs Go jingling by, and see! Beside the gate the horses wait And neigh for you and me! SLEEPY TIME Hey, baby! Ho, baby! here upon my knee, See the firelight flicker over you and me! See the tiny people basking in the glow, Peering through the ruddy little coals, and so How they dance and scamper! Merry fairy folk! [47] [48] [49] [50] [51]
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